Somethin' Every True Bass Player Should See...

ok guys, im turning to you. heres the thing. im a pretty good bass player, but i want to be the best that i could possibly be and then some. im in the school band, im in a band, i play bass 24/7 ( including when i watch letterman ) , and every cent i make i buy bass stuff with. its not good enough for me though. what can i do??? should i take lessons ( self taught ) ??? what scales should i try to perfect??? im willing to do anything. what do i do to become a bassapotamus??? i want the experts advice here ( yes thats you ) . PLEASE HELP ME

Originally posted by Freakapotamus9 ok guys, im turning to you. heres the thing. im a pretty good bass player, but i want to be the best that i could possibly be and then some. im in the school band, im in a band, i play bass 24/7 ( including when i watch letterman ) , and every cent i make i buy bass stuff with. its not good enough for me though. what can i do??? should i take lessons ( self taught ) ??? what scales should i try to perfect??? im willing to do anything. what do i do to become a bassapotamus??? i want the experts advice here ( yes thats you ) . PLEASE HELP ME

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watching letterman should help, at least on the karma level - will lee is da man.

check out www.libster.com - this site is a great instructional site for bass.

oh, yeah, and get a good teacher. where would luke be without yoda, eh?

Try to get some info on the local bassists that teach. It doesn't really matter if private or guitar store, although I've found that most store teachers are street players themselves and aren't very good teachers (or bassists rof that matter). At least where I come from.
Perhaps there are some (jazz) bassists around that play and/or teach at a pro level.
Try to find one who focuses more on music theory and reading and not so much on flashy technique. It may seem more boring, but it will benefit you in the long run.

....and while you have time off from the lessons, sit down and learn..BY EAR, NO TAB!!!...examples of as many different styles of music you can find. Becoming a well-rounded player that can handle lots of different types of stuff will get you lots of work. Doesn't matter if you don't get it 100%, just keep working and try to analyze what the bassists are doing...get into their heads, and identify what works in what situation. This will help you build a vocabulary so you'll be able to "speak" appropriately, no matter who and where you're "talking" with.

I can't believe I have to say this: Turn off Letterman! Ok, I don't really mean don't watch. I mean, when it's practice time, practice. Concentrate entirely on what you are doing. If you spend 15 minutes a day actually practicing (being totally in the activity - no distractions) you'll do more good that 24 hours of doodling while Letterman talks to Paul.

Originally posted by Pacman I can't believe I have to say this: Turn off Letterman! Ok, I don't really mean don't watch. I mean, when it's practice time, practice. Concentrate entirely on what you are doing. If you spend 15 minutes a day actually practicing (being totally in the activity - no distractions) you'll do more good that 24 hours of doodling while Letterman talks to Paul.

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lol ok so i dont practice during letterman. i was merely trying to state that i practice A LOT ( and that i watch letterman )